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Last Friday saw six enthusiastic students participate in the inaugural Debate Night. Held in the Tenison Woods College Lecture Theatre and in front of an audience of family, friends and staff, the topic for the evening was ‘That imagination is more precious than knowledge’. Presenting the affirmative case was Kate Beltakis, Alex Brodie and, in her first public debate, Evangelia Wichmann. On the negative side were Carmen Gerritsen-Dupree, Caitlyn Poel and Baie Perryman.

The debate itself was a lively and tightly-fought battle, with persuasive arguments presented on both sides. Each speaker had their own style, using it to their advantage to communicate, inform and entertain the audience, and they all spoke with intensity and intent. With each new speaker tipping the balance in favour of their team, the final result was so close that even the adjudicator did not know the winner until scores were tallied! Once they were, the affirmative team emerged victorious on this occasion. My thanks to the adjudicator, Mrs Marilena Wilson, and the coach, Mr James Gilham for their support.

The Debate Nights will be held at the College once a term throughout the year, and will be open to the College community, so keep an eye out for dates and times. They will give students the opportunity to apply the skills learnt in Debate Club in a public setting, building confidence and experience in the sometimes scary experience of public speaking!

The Debate Club itself runs each week on Friday lunchtimes, with a beginners’ group meeting in the odd weeks, and the experienced group meeting in even weeks. It’s open to all students from Year 6 to Year 12, no matter what your level of experience and confidence in public speaking is. Anyone looking to challenge themselves to develop this important life skill is encouraged to come along and join us!

Adam Taylor | Teacher